Acute Dhaka gas shortage reaches boiling point

An acute gas crisis in Dhaka is forcing many people to look at alternative ways of cooking their meals.

Increased demand, poor infrastructure and the failure of past governments to find new gas sources has resulted in severe gas restrictions across the country.

â€śThereâ€™s no gas supply during the day and itâ€™s only available after 11:00 pm. We canâ€™t cook meals at midnight, so I bought a kerosene stove as an alternative,â€ť said Shibly Rozario, 23, a Catholic housewife from Nayanagar parish in eastern Dhaka.

â€śThe crisis has also increased family expenses, which is a blow since we are already suffering from soaring prices for daily essentials,â€ť she lamented.

Sumon Gomes, 26, from Tejgaon parish in central Dhaka told ucanews.com the gas crisis has made daily life much harder.

â€śIâ€™m forced to get up very early to cook as thereâ€™s no gas supply during the day. I cook once and eat the same dish three times a day,â€ť he said yesterday.

The crisis has taken away the freedom of cooking for some women, said Bimola Palma, 36, a housewife.

â€śIf my children ask me to cook noodles, I canâ€™t because there is no gas. I can only cook once a day and thatâ€™s very early in the morningâ€ť, she exclaimed.

Judith Jaba Rozario, 44, a Catholic teacher from Luxmibazar parish in old Dhaka said, â€śSometimes I go to school without food because I am unable to cook anything. During winter itâ€™s hard to eat food that has gone cold already,â€ť she said.

The government says it is looking at ways to overcome a shortfall of 500 million cubic feet of gas in the country.

Abdul Aziz Khan, managing director of state-owned energy company Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution, said the company is planning to increase supply in Dhaka by laying bigger pipes.

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